Owleton is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Owleton family lived in Cheshire, at Oulton. There are parishes so named in Norfolk, Suffolk, West Riding of Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Cumberland. "The family, however, seem to have sprung, so far as North England is concerned, from the township of Oulton, near Tarporley, Cheshire." [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6) Another source agrees: "The manor and township of Oulton gave a name to some ancient Cheshire families." [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.

Early Origins of the Owleton family

The surname Owleton was first found in Cheshire at Oulton, at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, when Serlon de Burcy of the Canton of Vassey in Normandy, was granted lands by King William for his assistance at the Battle of Hastings, and these lands descended to Nigel Burcy in 1086.

At one time the family held Leighton in Cheshire as noted: "The manor belonged anciently to a family that took their name from the township, and by whom it was conveyed, by a deed without date, to the Oulton family. The Erdswicks acquired the estate in 1328, by exchange with the Oultons." [3]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. The Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279 listed Alan de Oldeton and a few years later Nicholas atte Noulton was listed in Worcestershire in 1327. [4]CITATION[CLOSE]Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)

Further to the north, Henry de Oulton was listed in the Feet of Fines of Yorkshire in 1328. In 1455, Earwaker's East Cheshire listed Thomas Olton as holding estates in Mottram, Cheshire and Richard Olton, of Congleton was listed in the Wills at Chester in 1588. The same source listed Blanch Oulton, of Bradley as a widow in 1629. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)

Early History of the Owleton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Owleton research.Another 141 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Owleton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Owleton Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Oulton, Olton, Owlton, Oolton, Ouldon, Oulden and others.

Early Notables of the Owleton family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Owleton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Owleton family to the New World and Oceana

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Owleton name or one of its variants: John Oulden who settled in West New Jersey in 1772; Jane Olton settled in Jamaica in 1663.